Cavs vs Magic: Starters, odds, prediction and TV channel

The Cleveland Cavaliers have finally reached the oasis of their schedule. They have lost five straight games, but those five losses have come against good teams (mostly title contenders) and none of them were blowouts. All came without Collin Sexton, lost for the year, but also without Evan Mobley; he left early in the first loss before missing four games with an elbow sprain.

After playing four straight games against teams in the top 4 in either conference, and before playing another such six-game stretch, the Cavs get one game off from playing top-tier playoff teams. Saturday night they host the last-place Orlando Magic, a chance to stop the freefall as their rest-of-year rotation finally comes back together. Mobley is expected to return tonight and provide a two-way jolt to this scrapping young team.

The Cavs play the Magic Saturday night to end their homestand. What do you need to know about who is playing and how to bet?

The Orlando Magic are in the midst of a transition year, with two of their best players in Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac yet to play as they recover from knee surgeries. They bottomed out and traded most of their veterans last season and earned the fifth overall pick, and they are again angling to get another top pick in this year’s draft. They have likewise lost five straight games and 16 of their first 20 overall.

The list of Magic wins doesn’t make sense. Their four wins include two against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, one over the Utah Jazz, and one over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Cavs have to hope the Magic don’t suddenly find that extra gear and make this more of a fight than it should be.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Opponent: Odds, spread, over/under

The Cavaliers (9-10) will host the Orlando Magic (4-16) tonight. According to our partners over at WynnBet, the Cavs are favored by 7.5 points. The over/under total for the game is set at 203 points. The Magic have lost three games during this five-game slide by more than 7.5 points, but every game they played in went over 203 total points.

The Cavs are well-rested, playing at home on Monday and Wednesday before having two days off. The Magic played at home on Friday night and then flew up to Cleveland to face the Cavs in a back-to-back. They will be at a significant rest disadvantage, especially given their long injury sheet. The one benefit to getting blown out Friday night by the Chicago Bulls is that no one on the team played more than Wendell Carter Jr.’s 30 minutes.

Cavs vs Opponent: Project starting lineups, injury report

Other starters: Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Bamba.

Cavs: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

The Magic’s key injuries: Cole Anthony (questionable, ankle); Terrance Ross (probable, back); E’Twaun Moore (out, knee); Michael Carter-Williams (out, ankle); Markelle Fultz (out, knee); Jonathan Isaac (out, knee)

The Cavaliers’ key injuries: Collin Sexton (out for season, knee); Evan Mobley (probable, elbow); Cedi Osman (probable, back); Lamar Stevens (doubtful, ankle)

The headline here is the return of Evan Mobley, back after missing four games with an elbow sprain. He should leap right back into the starting lineup. It’s probable that J.B. Bickerstaff moves Dean Wade back to the bench to restart his “Tower City” look with the 7’0″ Markkanen starting at the 3, but it might be worth trying out Wade at the 3 and Markkanen coming off the bench.

Cavs vs Magic: Prediction

The presence of Evan Mobley back on the court cannot be overstated. He has been their best defensive player this year despite being a rookie, and honestly one of the best defensive players in the entire league. He also will be asked to take on a great offensive load with Collin Sexton out; will he show any rust after his absence?

For the Magic, their ability to compete in this game could come down to whether Cole Anthony plays. The second-year guard was an abysmal rookie but has broken through as a sophomore, averaging 19.6 points per game along with 6.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists, insane numbers given where he was coming into the season.

Without Anthony, and with Markelle Fultz yet to return from last year’s surgery, the Magic’s offense will fall on rookie Jalen Suggs’ shoulders, and like almost all rookie guards he has struggled when asked to be the lead ball-handler. This Magic rotation is very young, and their inexperience shows often.

The question is not whether the Cavs should be favored; they absolutely should, and I expect them to win. The question becomes whether they will win by over 7.5 points. Only four of their nine wins this season have been by more than 7.5 points, but they also have only played one other bottom-feeder this season, and they toasted the Detroit Pistons by 20 points with the same rotation they will have against the Magic.

Even so, they were in a rhythm then, in the midst of winning six-of-seven games. Now they are just getting healthy, on a five-game skid and will possibly be pushing instead of settling into their relaxed offensive flow. Mobley will matter, but he could also take a few quarters to get his feet back under him.

Finally, the over/under is set incredibly low, but it still might not be low enough. The Cavs will likely smother the Magic defensively but will struggle to pull away. Even when they have blown opponents out, they have done so defensively; three of their double-digit wins would have come in well under the 203 total points mark. Look for a low-scoring contest with the Cavs never truly pulling away.

Prediction: Cavs 99, Magic 93

The Bet: Magic (+7.5), UNDER

Cavs vs Magic: Where to Watch

The NBA and its national television partners have no interest in Cleveland and Orlando being showcased unless someone whose name rhymes with “Geshawn Tames” is playing. Until these small markets are relevant their matchups will surely be relegated to local television. To catch the Cavs on Saturday night you can tune into Bally Sports Ohio or look it up on NBA League Pass. The game is at 8:00pm EST.

Cleveland Cavaliers Upcoming Schedule

The game against the Magic is just a momentary respite before the grind picks back up. They take to the road for a three-game trip across the south, starting in Dallas on Monday night to play Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. Then they will fly to Miami for a Wednesday night showdown against the Heat, and Friday play in our nation’s capital against the Washington Wizards.

From there it’s more of the same, with games against the Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls. Even a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 10th doesn’t look as inviting as it would have, as they just won five straight games before losing last night. Things lighten up from there, so if this tough Cavs team can steal a win or two in this stretch they can still right the ship and make a playoff push from there.